In the Lines Between
by Moondragon
Summary: Companion piece to ‘Hatefully Yours’. The time of war has come to Hogwarts and Harry realizes some things about the difference between light and dark, and all the shades of grey between. HPDM Implied slash.


This little piece is best read together with 'Hatefully Yours', which is from Draco's point of view, but it can also be read separately. I thought Draco was difficult to write! I never expected Harry to be ten times worse... Also, I haven't read OotP, so there might be things that aren't right according to that. The quote Harry use is from 'The Prophet', which is a wonderful book. There are very brief mentions of murder and torture, but nothing detailed. Slight slash that can be ignored if you try hard enough

Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to J.K.Rowling and Warner Bros, and are used without permit.  
Summary: Companion piece to 'Hatefully Yours'. The time of war has come to Hogwarts and Harry realizes some things about the difference between light and dark, and all the shades of grey between.

**In the Lines Between**  
Moondragon

In your search for black and white  
You'll find that things fall to the shadows  
This is where your answers lie

Sacred Reich: Seen Through My Eyes

--

White and Black.

Light and Dark.

Good and Evil…

For most people, that's how life is. That's how I'm expected to live my life. It feels like I'm stuck in a story without an ending. Like a manuscript that's prewritten and well practiced; it's an old friend… Everyone has their part in this charade of ours, there are bad guys and there are good guys, but there are no in-betweens, no shades of grey.

I mentioned this to Ron and Hermione once. Why were you automatically either good or evil? Couldn't a person remain neutral? I could see that Hermione was a little concerned by the question and by the implications of me asking it. But no matter what she thought, she did explain how she saw it. She believed that the differences between light and dark where so great that you couldn't not have an opinion about it, and if you truly didn't care, then you fit into the dark category because you hadn't any respect for human life. So, according to Hermione, there was one choice with only two alternatives, and you had to choose.

Good or Evil…

Ron looked at me and asked if I was feeling all right. He was smiling, a crooked smile to reassure me and to make light of the question. But when I looked into his eyes I could see doubt. It wasn't Hermione's explanation he questioned; it was I. That hurt. To know that one of my best friends seriously doubted my loyalty because I dared to ask something that didn't fit into what I am supposed to believe in. The border between the two points of view is clearly separated and for a moment I had stepped slightly towards that border and it scared them.

'Of the good in you I can speak, but not of evil. For what is evil, but good tortured and starved.' These are words that opened my mind. For what is evil, if not goodness that's gone unrecognised and unurtured? Voldemort is a monster, of that I'm sure. But he wasn't always so, once he was just a little boy. Nobody can be born evil. What happened that made him into what he is today? I've heard of his childhood, his parents, the orphanage, and with a past such as his being sorted into Slytherin, I can only imagine that his time at Hogwarts was less than enjoyable. What scare me at times are the similarities we share. The past of abuse and none-caring, the dead parents and even our looks are alike. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would have been if I had let myself be sorted into Slytherin.

What most fail to understand is that we need both the light and the dark, both good and evil. For without darkness, how could we ever recognize and appreciate the beauty of light? Without evil, how can anyone be good? One cannot exist without the other. There have to be a balance between the two. It's like a chess game, an equally amount of white and black pieces facing each other. The King, the Queen, the Tower and so on, down to all the peasants, the ones that vanishes from the board first of all, the ones that we can afford to lose… I would have to admit that I'm one of the important pieces and though some would place me as the king, I rather think that would be Dumbledore. Voldemort of course is the black king, what I'm unsure about is what piece Draco Malfoy really is. My own position is symbolic, not one of real power. As far as I can see, I hold no importance to this war except that of being a poster boy for the light side. I understand the need people have for hope and if I can help increase that hope, then let that be my role, I don't mind.

What I do mind is that people who don't know anything about me feel that they can rightfully judge me based on second-hand information, then say 'ops, guess I was mistaken…' a moment later. That's what happened when they thought I was the heir of Slytherin and with the Tri-wizard Tournament. The next time a similar opportunity arises, they'll do exactly the same. I'm either the devil's spawn or an angelic savoir, there's no room for failure. People have raised me up to a pedestal that has no room for movement.

This standoff between the light and the dark side is being played out in miniature version inside the walls of Hogwarts. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, Malfoy versus Potter… Who's to say what is light and what is dark, how can we know what's really going on in the shadows?

What I find fascinating about Malfoy and myself is that our differences are so complete, yet not at all. He is self-assured and proud; I am self-conscious and unsure. He wants everyone around him to stand up and take notice, whereas I would rather blend in with the crowd.

His looks are ironically enough light and luminous. While my hair is dark and messy, sticking out in every way possible, his is golden and perfectly in place. His complexion is pale and spotless, while mine is darker, marked by being so much out in the sun. His eyes are shady blue-grey and guarded, just like he is, while mine are strikingly green and entirely too readable for my own comfort. His frame is light and almost feminine, with a natural grace that I will never posses.

Still, there are similarities that cannot be overlooked. We, each in our own way, are both honest, though I would perhaps say that he's more so than I. He is one of the few people I believe have never lied to me. Though he has said quite a lot of hurtful things to me over the years, that don't mean that they aren't true. Neither of us has ever had a real childhood, me with the Dursleys and him growing up at Malfoy Manor. Ron is always saying how spoiled Malfoy is and concerning material things I think he's right. But to say that Lucius Malfoy is a loving, caring father, that is a completely different thing. All in all, I think Draco Malfoy is probably the most complex person I know. Some might disagree and say that I don't know him at all, but I do and probably better then most.

We're Yin and Yang, we need each other to survive.

But Yin aren't really black, there's a spot of white in it. Just like I believe Draco has some light in him. That's why no one can be written of as purely good or evil, because everybody's got both sides in them. His light is part honesty, part curiosity and part simple wilfulness, but most of all pride. His pride needs for him to stand out and he won't get that following the darkness, there he'll be one in a crowd and I don't believe that he'll ever permit that.

In the same way, Yang isn't all white; it has a darkness of its own, as have I. My darkness is mostly created out of experience and of others reactions. Because of the Dursleys, I had to grow up before I should have, and without ever feeling loved or even safe. The critical and ever changing opinions of the Wizarding world has made me doubt society as a whole and look down at people too caught up in their fear to voice their real opinions. The visions of Voldemort torturing, raping and murdering countless people has stripped me from the last remains of my innocence and naivety. It took me a long time to accept this darkness as a part of me equal to other sides. It is that side of me that others fear… For although both Ron and Hermione would say that they have experienced darkness, the have only scraped the surface and seen a glimpse of what truly lies in the shadows. They are still children and their way to cope with evil is to look down on it, not try to understand it and the reasons behind it.

It is only when the black and white mix together that we'll find a solution, a balance and a way to survive.

And together, we'll be the most brilliant shade of grey the world has ever seen.

--

**Author's Note:**

There is a companion piece to this story, 'Hatefully Yours' written from Draco's point of view that I recommend everyone to read. (Of course I do, I wrote the damn thing…)

One thing I have to comment about this story in comparison to Hatefully Yours is that Harry's thoughts are more random and going of into sidetracks, something I didn't do intentionally but believe is suitable. Draco strikes me as a person that sees the paths more clearly and understands himself and his motivation better then Harry does. He would be the kind of person that first analyses the different roads available, and then decide which one to continue, never looking back. Harry on the other hand sometimes contradicts himself and is still trying to figure out who he is, what his role in the war will be and, simply put, what his opinions are. He doesn't have such a clear and straightforward voice that Draco have.

Reviews are always nice to receive, so…?;)

Also, there won't be any more chapters and I very much doubt I'll ever write a sequel to this…

Luv and all that,  
Moondragon


End file.
